Shivering days are almost upon us

Rachael Ng

The mercury is expected to plunge to below 7 degrees Celsius in the New Territories on Friday and Saturday mornings as an intense winter monsoon is expected to reach the coast of southern China tomorrow, the observatory says.

It will become colder in urban areas in the coming days, with the temperature dropping to 12 degrees. It will be coldest in Ta Kwu Ling at 7 degrees on Saturday.

Residents in Tai Po, Sheung Shui and Sha Tin will also have to put up with nine-degree weather, while Tseung Kwan O, Tuen Mun, Tsing Yi, Sai Kung and Cheung Chau will just be a tad warmer at 10 to 11 degrees.

Amid the cold spell, University of Hong Kong infectious diseases expert Ivan Hung Fan-ngai expects a winter flu peak around the Lunar New Year later this month.

"After Christmas and New Year, we can see that the current level of influenza activity in Hong Kong has reached the World Health Organization's baseline level and has a continuing upward trend," Hung said. "More elderly with chronic diseases are being hospitalized due to complications caused by the flu."

There is an increasing trend in infections among children aged five or below, Hung said, and warned of a possible "double peak season" as the city may be hit with the H1 influenza A viruses before H3 influenza.

Hung said the risk of flu outbreaks is higher in kindergartens and primary schools and urged parents to get their children vaccinated before the Lunar New Year. He added that the vaccination rates among children have been slightly higher than previous years but still below standards.

HKU's chair professor of public health virology Leo Poon Lit-man warned of a new variant of the flu and called on people with high infection risks to get jabs soon.

rachael.ng@singtaonewscorp.com